Parris Todd, out of Fort Myers, FL, has achieved yet another remarkable feat: winning the National Triple Crown. Earlier this week, Todd secured a victory in the women’s singles category at the US Open Pickleball Championships and went on to win in the women’s doubles and mixed doubles categories on Saturday.
While Todd had already accomplished the same feat at the APP Tour in Punta Gorda earlier this year, her latest triumph occurred on a grander stage. Following the match, Todd opted not to provide any comments to reporters but did express her excitement in an interview with the Pickleball Channel.
“I just want to thank my family back home, I know they’re watching. I wouldn’t be able to do this without them. My whole team and the Johnson family have been on my side. Everyone that’s been there for me and supported me throughout my career, I couldn’t do it without them.”
Parris Todd
After starting the tournament with a comeback 8-11, 11-6, 15-13 victory against Judit Castillo Gargallo last Sunday, Todd faced a similar situation on Saturday. She and Simone Jardim lost the first set of their doubles match against Megan Fudge and Bobbi Oshiro. However, Todd and Jardim recovered to win the final two sets 11-5, 11-4 and claim a convincing victory in the doubles competition, which had initially looked uncertain.
“She’s trouble [Todd] in many ways,” Jardim told the Channel. “My 9-year-old I think is cheering for her most of the time… It’s been great to spend time together practicing. She’s such an athlete, and she pushes me. She’s pushed me to be better and fitter. To me, it’s a new life in pickleball for sure.”
Todd responded: “It’s been amazing. Not only do I enjoy playing with her on the court, but I also look up to her so much as a person and as a mom. Everything she’s done for me; I love you so much.”
In the men’s category, Kyle Yates and the Romanian Andrei Dăescu, representing Florida, put on an impressive show in the doubles event, defeating the Johnson brothers from New Braunfels, Texas. Yates and Dăescu secured an 11-6 victory in the first set, followed by a clean sweep of 11-0 in the second set.
“It feels great,” Dăescu said. “I was really happy to be able to do this with Kyle. We had a really good week out here. The experience was amazing. I was happy to get a gold medal.
“We play a lot of divisions, both Kyle and I. We had a good time in all the brackets with some really good matches. There were a lot of tough competitors. We were really happy to be a part of the US Open, and we’ll be back next year.”
On Saturday, Kyle Yates played two matches where he won one and lost the other. In the mixed doubles championship with Simone Jardim against Parris Todd and Hunter Johnson, Yates, and Jardim found themselves behind 0-5 early in the third set. However, they went on to win eight straight points.
Despite their efforts, Todd and Johnson finished strong with a 6-1 run, resulting in Yates and Jardim losing the match and being denied the gold medals. Notably, it was the first time the duo had played doubles in several years.
“This was fun,” said Yates. “It was a great week. This is always my favorite tournament of the year. There’s somewhat of an elephant in the room, at least to me. A lot of the top players weren’t able to compete this week, but that’s fine with me. I had a blast. I know they missed out because this is the best pickleball party of the year.”
We provided some early reviews for the first couple of days’ plays. Click here to read them.
